This is a great disc. It's one of my very favorite recordings by anyone:
real desert island music. Oddly enough, it took me a while to "hear" this
music. This was the first recording of this work that I'd ever heard.
It didn't have the immediate impact that Three Places in New England
or the Fourth Symphony had on me. But, if you listen closely (and maybe
give it a few hearings), you'll find that this is powerful, nearly overwhelming
music. Throughout, Tilson Thomas generates a tremendous sense of mystery
and atmosphere. The CSO plays wonderfully, sounding completely at home
in Ives' (sometimes) unorthodox idiom. From start to finish, there are
no weak spots. Last of all, Tilson Thomas' reading provides a superb argument
for treating this work as a symphony, rather than a piecemeal collection
of short works. Listen from start to finish. When the chorus enters near
the end of the final movement, "Thanksgiving and Forefather's Day," it
will send chills down your spine. The transcendent exultation is even
more powerful in the context of the work as a whole. In fact, Ives' use
of the chorus reminds me of nothing more than the "Ode to Joy" that concludes
Beethoven's Ninth.

The good news first: This is a superb recording of "Washington's
Birthday." The interpretation is incredibly atmospheric, and the
icy, desolate cold of a New England winter comes across beautifully. To
my ears, this even manages to surpass Tilson Thomas' landmark recording
of the same work. It's that good. The bad news is that we'll have
to wait to hear Sinclair's version of the other three movements of the
"Holidays" because this disc just contains the "Washington's
Birthday" movement. Of course, Ives remarked that you could play
them own their own or as a "symphony," so there's no foul. But
I definitely prefer to hear them in the context of of the other three
works. I suppose I should stop grousing. If you're a fan, you want to
hear this one. It's something special.

Until recently, I didn't know that Ormandy had recorded the Holidays
Symphony. (I understand that the CD is now available--but only in
Japan.) My reaction when I first heard the LP: "Wow! What a wonderful
record!" It may lack some of MTT's mystery and subtlety, but Ormandy
makes up for those shortcomings with a virtuosic sense of Ivesian exuberance
and vitality. And the Phildelphia Orchestra sounds glorious. Ormandy and
the Philadelphians sound a bit more traditional than Tilson Thomas, and
some of the dissonant elements that MTT features are left in background.
But Ormandy's reading of the Holidays is very similar to his recordings
of Three Places in New England. None represents the ultimate in
subtlety, but they are very dramatic, stirring, and covincing. For example,
"Decoration Day" is beautifully drawn. It's tender and elegaic
as the people remember the veterans, and then explosive and raucous as
the townspeople march back to town. But the high point of the recording
is the final movement, "Thanksgiving and Forefathers' Day."
It's immensely powerful, and stunning in its intensity. When the chorus
enters near the climax of the work, they match the orchestra's ecstatic
exultation. Tremendous!

When I listened to Hauschild's recording of the Holidays Symphony
for the first time, I didn't have especially high expectations. But I've
got to say that I was dead wrong; this recording knocked me flat! At first,
I thought Hauschild's reading might be too tentative, focusing on the
trees but losing the forest. In general, his tempos seemed to be on the
slow side. But, as the performance progressed, I grew more and more wrapped
up in it. Hauschild isn't as easy-going and natural sounding as Ormandy.
However, he illuminates all sorts of layers and detail that I've never
heard so distinctly--without at all being cold. When "Thanksgiving and Forefathers'
Day" rolled round (which for me is the real yard-stick of a great
performance of this work), I felt that wonderful Ivesian parting of the
heavens, that great leap upward! It actually choked me up when the chorus
launches at the end.

I don't think you can go wrong with Lenny's Ives. That said, Bernstein's
reading of the Holidays Symphony lacks the cumulative impact of
MTT's and Ormandy's readings--which is not surprising as Bernstein recorded
each movement separately over a period of five years (1963-68). One other
observation: Bernstein takes the work a bit more slowly than his protégé,
and I find MTT's pacing more effective. For example, Lenny's reading of
"Washington's Birthday" is a full minute longer than Tilson Thomas', and
the slackening pace is especially apparent after the "Barn Dance" sequence.
But this is a very minor consideration, and you may find Lenny's stately
pace preferable. This is a fine recording, but it doesn't get my highest
recommendation because the competition is so good.

This is a surprisingly strong, idiomatic performance of the Holidays
Symphony. While this recording may not rank with MTT's and Ormandy's
as one of the very best, Gielen and the Stuttgart RSO are especially compelling
in the two middle movements, where Gielen's credentials as a modernist
help him navigate Ives' multi-layered musical terrain. The performance,
which was recorded live in 1973, was issued on the Mediaphon label to
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Stuttgart RSO. (You may have
difficulty finding the CD, since it was a limited-edition release issued
only in Europe.)

The authors of the highly-respected Penguin Guide awarded this
disc a coveted "rosette," so I was anxious to hear it. I'm sorry
to say that I was very disappointed when I got around to listening. Zinman
emphasizes the works' atmospheric, "impressionist" elements.
But I think he does so to the detriment of the work as whole. Ives' music
should be rugged--if not ragged--at times, and Zinman seems intent on
glossing over these aspects of the music. As a result, the work sounds
un-idiomatic to me. Worse than that, it comes off as dull. There's little
impetus or forward momentum. The work seems curiously static. You can
apply the same description to Zinman's reading of Three Places in New
England. Obviously, others critics disagree with me, so you may want
to listen for yourself.

Donald
Johanos / Dallas Symphony Orchestra & the Southern Methodist University
Choir (Vox CDX 5182, coupled with works by Copland, Siegmeister,
Gould, and Sousa. Also formerly available on Analogue Productions APCD004,
coupled with Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo and Fanfare for
the Common Man by Copland; and Vox 5035, coupled with works by Copland
and Rachmaninov)

Johanos and the Dallas SO sound pallid and tentative compared to the
best recordings on this list. Details are glossed over; there's little
sense of kaleidoscopic vitality, which is so essential for this work.
The Dallas SO also lacks the firepower and panache found on the best recordings.
The Vox recording is not especially good. The Copland works fare better.
They feature an extremely wide dynamic range. The orchestra and conductor
also sound much more comfortable in this repertoire.

Mehta's reading of "Decoration Day" is lively and atmospheric, even if
it lacks the surrounding movements to give it context. If you can find
it, this collection is also worth picking up for Mehta's excellent performance
of "Variations on America" as orchestrated by William Schuman.

Other Recordings

Other recordings of Ives' Holidays Symphony include:

Nicolas Slonimsky / Pan American Chamber Orchestra / "Barn Dance"
section from "Washington's Birthday" (Symposium 1258, coupled
with "In the Night" and works by Roussel, Bruckner, Lothar,
Egk, and Vaughan Williams) [Slonimsky's 1934 recordings for Henry Cowell's
New Music Quarterly Recordings were the first commercially available
recordings of Ives' music.]